Hamilton to open for Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton will again get the first opportunity to test the new F1 W05 car at season's second official test, which starts in Bahrain on Wednesday...

Mercedes confirmed on Tuesday that Lewis Hamilton will again get the first opportunity to test the new F1 W05 car at season's second official test, which starts in Bahrain on Wednesday.

The 2008 Drivers' Championship winner started the first pre-season test for Mercedes at Jerez last month, but his opportunities for the Silver Arrows were cut short when he crashed into the tyre barrier after he suffered a front wing failure.

Other than that incident, Hamilton and his team-mate Nico Rosberg enjoyed a strong session even though they weren't the quickest at the Andalucian track.

Mercedes were given plenty of encouragement at Jerez though, as its customer teams McLaren and Williams illustrated the potential of their V6 turbo engines when they set the fastest times on three of the four days.

In Bahrain this week, the Mercedes drivers will alternate, with Hamilton running on Wednesday and Friday, while Rosberg takes over on Thursday and Saturday.